Things didn’t go according to script for the Pratt High School girls crosscountry team Saturday at Wamego.

Although Greenback standout Kaylah Romine brought home a medal for 7th place (15:53), other Greenbacks didn’t have as good a day, resulting in an 11th place finish for the squad. The meet was won by Topeka Hayden with 69 points. Pratt totaled 259.

Greenback head coach Kathy Hitz had words of praise for Romine’s effort. “I think Kaylah ran great!” Hitz said. “ It was a tight finish from 3 to 10 and she stayed in there and fought. State is such a different beast than our regular season. The best in the state all in one race fighting for position the whole way, it is intense. Kaylah stood the test and came away with a 7th place state medal!”

The Greenbacks #2 and #3 runners were not as fortunate, however. Ruth Anthony blew out an ankle and had to withdraw from the race.

“Ruth's fall came going around a tree on the switchbacks and between the tight turn and all the people, she rolled that ankle bad, “ Hitz reported. “ She got up and tried to run for a bit, but went down again. At this point we don't know the amount of damage to the ankle. But we do know it is a severe sprain. It will be evaluated again in a week to see if there is any tendon damage.”

Nichole Moreland (69th 17:26) did manage to finish the race, but was plagued with respiratory distress for much of the way, perhaps owing to the cold temperatures and the severity of the terrain.

With Anthony not finishing at all and Moreland not finishing as high as she usually does, PHS lost several places in the team standings.

“Cassidy Cronister had a good race,” Hitz observed. “She ran a minute faster than a year ago at state.”

“I was proud of Chloe Cannata for fighting through her injuries this year to be able to run at state,” Hitz continued. “And Carly Reid had a good first state meet, especially following a freshman year full of injuries and illness.”

This was the second consecutive appearance for the Greenback girl at state. The loss of senior Kaylah Romine will be felt strongly, but the other girls are underclassmen and a third run at state is not out of the question next year.